Israel on Wednesday handed over to Jordan the bodies of two terrorists who infiltrated across the border earlier this year and launched an attack on IDF forces. The IDF confirmed the overnight return of the bodies of Amer Qawas and Hassam Abu Ghazala to Amman.
Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed receiving the bodies, and said they were handed over to their families for burial. The military spokesperson said the return of the dead terrorists was upon instructions from the government.
The attack left an IDF soldier and a reservist with light to moderate injuries. The terrorists, dressed in military uniforms, infiltrated the area in the Arava Desert. They were shot dead by a reservist soldier and a female reservist who were dispatched to the scene.
IDF soldiers observed the terrorists crossing the border from Jordan. According to the military, the two terrorists were stopped "just yards from the border fence."
The force engaged the suspects along the "smuggling route" near the border, about three yards into Israeli territory, after the terrorists opened fire with Glock pistols. One of the attackers ran out of ammunition during the exchange.
Anti Israel protesters in Amman
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The terrorists were equipped with a wire cutter, which they used to breach the single barbed-wire fence at the border. They also carried binoculars, a map, and an Arabic-Hebrew phrasebook. After they were killed, the IDF coordinated with their Jordanian counterparts. An investigation carried out soon after the incident, revealed that they were not members of the Jordanian military, despite wearing military uniforms.
The attack came after a deadly shooting attack at the King Hussein border crossing where a Jordanian citizen drove a truck across the border and opened fire on staff, killing three men.
Israeli security officials have warned that the long border with Jordan has been neglected for years and was no the source of arms smuggled by Iranian operatives for use by terrorists on the West Bank.